Conundrum
by myst469
Summary: AU. Oneshot. Tick tock, tick tock, time is running up. It's either find me soon, or find no one at all. "I will solve the riddle in your place. I won't let the crime end this way. Let me undo this rusted curse."


**Conundrum**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater **

This is my first time writing in the SE fandom so…I'm still getting the hang of it.

This is inspired by a Vocaloid song by Nazotoki and sung by Len and Rin Kagamine: The Riddle Solver who can't Solve Riddles and The Riddle Solver who won't Solve Riddles. They're different songs but related to each other

* * *

Whispers echoed in the ballroom, making it the only sound that reached their ears. Hands pushed the crowd aside, revealing two white haired men with red eyes. The taller one held a violin while the other one donned a black and red pinstriped suite. The elder one narrowed his gaze on the body on the floor and barked out orders to the people around him.

"Wes, what's the situation here?" Luella Evans asked.

Two fingers to the pulse told him to expect the worst. The night has been officially ruined. He turned to his mother and shook his head, showing the reality of the situation. Luella bit her lip and tried to keep her thundering heart calm. The blame would surely be thrown to them and their reputation would be all but ruined. All the respect people had for them would immediately disappear, leaving only disgust and fear. Who would murder in this party? And why would they do so?

"Mother, the police is coming." Soul told her before kneeling down to the cold dead body on the floor. Something felt odd about this. His fingers itched to touch the wine glass on his hands.

A figure appeared in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. "Do _not_ remove anything in the crime scene unless you are allowed to or a detective. You are neither of which though."

"And who are you?" His brother asked cautiously.

"I'm a detective." That was all she said before examining the corpse.

There was no evidence of foul play. Not a single stab or cut or even injury, she contemplated. The dilated eyes probably meant that the victim knew what was about to happen but was a second short to prevent so. The skin was still smooth and clear, removing the possibilities of extreme allergic reaction. Skimming her hands throughout the body, she felt a slight wet part in the upper arm. She tore off the clothing and found blood, though only a little amount of it. It seemed like he was injected with something that triggered his death.

"What are your findings, Miss?" Luella inquired with fear and curiosity in her tone.

A small smile appeared on her lips. "Albarn, Maka Albarn." She stood up and smoothed her dress before pointing a hand at the body. "An injection, most likely poison, killed him. See this spot? There's a little hole there that oozes a small amount of blood. It's the only part of his body that is wounded. Ms. Luella…"

"Yes?"

"Please keep a look out for the police. It is possible that the killer still lingers among us. We can still find him or her but at the same time it is dangerous for the attendees." She said grimly. "I will look around the place for clues, if you will allow it."

The woman nodded and clasped her hands. "Thank you Ms. Albarn. We will escort the guests out and you go do what you need. But if what you say is true then that means you are also in danger."

"Mother!" A voice bellowed from the hallways. "The guests are panicking. We need to hurry up."

"Soul, will you accompany Ms. Albarn here on her investigation. Although I'm quite sure that she can take care of herself, she may need an extra hand."

Soul's eyes strayed to her. His gut feeling told him to observe this woman more closely. Something about her seemed familiar. Those green eyes that seemed to brighten every time, that ashy blonde hair that loosely fell into small curls despite her hair being tied into a chignon, framing her delicate and young face; they all seemed familiar. An outstretched hand snapped him out of his reverie.

"Well?" She raised a delicate eyebrow at him. "We better get going."

"Uh, sure."

"By the way, I'm Maka Albarn. Nice to meet you."

Taking her small hand into his, they delved deeper into the darkness and mystery.

** .O.**

"Are you sure that's all of the rooms in this mansion?" Maka asked, her eyebrows furrowed and confusion marring her face.

He nodded. "Of course. Despite being a mansion, there aren't that many rooms in here. The ballroom takes up most of the space, then the garden, and lastly, the wine cellar."

"That's right. We haven't checked the garden yet."

They tried to pry open the doors that led to the garden, only to find it sealed shut. Muttering a curse under her breath, Maka took out a few pins from her hair, only to be stopped by Soul.

"Let's just go to the maids' quarters. They have the keys to this mansion. It's near here. "

Casting one more look to the doors, she nodded and followed the white haired man.

But to their horror, they saw the maids lifeless and limp on the floor when they arrived.

_This isn't an ordinary killing. _She thought as her mouth clamped shut and her eyes grew wide. _It's a massacre. This is a mass murderer we're talking about._

"Who did this?" He asked silently.

"We're gonna find out."

A single look was all she needed to tell how they were murdered. Compared to the man in the ballroom, this one was extremely messy. Stabbing was written all over it. It seemed like their murderer got a little impatient with these people. She couldn't blame him though. With the numbers of the maids in the room, it was difficult to do it cleanly as one might get away and tattle. It had to be done quickly as the murderer had no time for preparation. That meant that the guests in the ballroom were his exact targets. She wasn't surprised. This party was filled with rich people ranging from tycoons to world famous musicians. Their dresses and jewelries showcased their high standing in society. How she got invited to this party, she didn't know. But that would come later. She had other things to consider.

"If the murderer was here then…" Judging by the still wet and warm blood on the maids' clothes, it was still fresh so their target might still be near. They had to be careful and swift. They couldn't let him out of their sights.

"H-Help…" A groan caught their ears. One of the maids survived, although it looked like she might run out of time soon.

"Shit. Evans, call help immediately. It's near impossible to heal her quickly _and_ find the murderer. We need to split up. Do you have knowledge on first aid?"

"A little but splitting up—"

"Useless…Out of time…killer is close and kitchen—"

Just as she thought they were going to get information, the maid breathed out her last one, her eyes turning dull and lifeless, her hands went limp against her own, imitating the pose of the other corpses in the floor. Silence took over the both of them, suffocating and painful. Clenching her fists, Maka stood up and turned to Soul, her face grim and serious.

"I know where to go. Forget the garden, grab the cellar keys and follow me."

Soul nodded and made a quick grab of the said keys before trailing the blonde detective. His eyes skimmed over the horrible scene one last time. His eyes widened as he found a small paper taped into one of the servants slumped into a wall. She mustn't have noticed it for the corpse was facing the fall, his body twisted in a horrible way.

_Tick tock, tick tock. Time is running up Ms. Albarn. It's either find me soon or find no one at all._

If they didn't find this killer soon, they both knew the killer would find them. And with how things were looking, this event would end a tragedy.

** .O.**

"Call your brother and _don't _hang up. We need to keep an update on how things are going on there. It's a mistake to pay all attention on one scene and leave the other unattended. For all we know, the killer might be using _this_ as a distraction." She mumbled and scrunched her eyebrows before opening the cellar door and turning on the light.

Soul looked at her, his lips pulled into a tight line. "If what you say is true then…shouldn't we go back to where the others are?"

"If we go back there then we'd be joining the bodies on the floor." She threw him a sharp look and opened the barrels. She sniffed the wine before turning to the others. By the time Maka was done, all the barrels were pried open and her sense of smell was a bit numb, as if she had nasal problems. She gritted her teeth and stomped back up.

"What am I missing?" She asked. She pulled on her hair, destroying the chignon and loosening it into shoulder length wavy hair. The only clue the murderer left was a small note that Soul found taped into a servant. The note showed that the murderer was playing with them. And he knew her. Whatever the killer's gender is. He was planning something big. Bigger than the massacre of the staffs. It aggravated her to no end.

"The maid said something about the kitchen." He turned his eyes to her. "Do you think…?"

"Well then, let's go."

The kitchen was something they didn't expected. It had its same appearance as it did before the killing began. The dishes were on the sink, some unwashed and dirty and some tidy and ready for use. There were still some of the foods on the table, waiting to be served. The salad, the pasta, the grilled quail and the wide variety of desserts were still on the said furniture. Heck even the lasagna was still obviously fresh from the oven. But with the way the chairs were thrown over, it seemed like the staff left in haste after hearing the killing happen. Her eyes scanned the room as Soul continued to converse with his brother, his eyes filled with worry.

"Maka…" He called to her cautiously. "The guests have been poisoned. They've been puking left and right! And then they became twitchy and—Wes, make it clearer!"

"Give me that!" She grabbed his phone with a glare. "Explain it all to me."

"Okay so, at first they complained of headache then they started vomiting. The drooling came after that. And then there's this one man whose pupils dilated so much. It occurred to me then. They've been poisoned. I shouldn't have brushed it off as bad food. There are some that are having palpitations and only a few are—"

"Twitching and having seizures? Are they having small muscle twitches all over their body?" She interrupted as her eyes gleamed in realization. _Poison._

"Yes but I shouldn't have focused too much in finding an exit. At this rate, none of us will be leaving alive." Wes' voice sounded strained over the line but Maka couldn't blame him. Things were turning worse to worst.

"I think I know what poisoned them." Maka murmured and rummaged the salad but frowning as she didn't found what she was looking for.

Soul was then suddenly beside her. "You need a hand?"

A small smile appeared on her face. "Sure. We need to find what caused this ruckus. I have guesses. Oleanders, Hemlock, Rhododendrens, Azaleas, or Amanita mushrooms. I can't remember much about poisoning as most of my cases involved stabbing or gunning. That and I work as a field agent too sometimes."

Soul leaned on the wall and crossed his arms. "The mushrooms are out. I'm sure that we didn't serve mushrooms. I oversaw the food along with Wes."

"Of course you'd do that." She said with a smirk.

"Hey, we're looking for poison here. Anyway, the chances of having Azaleas and Oleanders are bigger than the others since my mother grows it in her garden. Maybe we had an insider in the kitchen and he or she did it." He looked thoughtful for a minute before shaking his head, his white hair following the movement of his head. "But then again, I know those shrubs personally so I'd recognize them if I saw it in the kitchen."

"You aren't always in the kitchen…right?"

"I'm not _that _much of a glutton." He rolled his eyes and tapped his fingers against the table. "We're not having much success here. "

"I know." She muttered and sighed before delving deeper into her mind and rummaging her brain for knowledge and memory. "Hemlock has a smaller chance because all the salad has are the general ingredients. Tomatoes, lettuce, egg, and you know the rest."

"_SOUL!" _

They both jumped in surprise as Wes shouted his name. Soul grabbed the phone and put it against his ear, his hand trembling a bit. Maka squeezed his free hand and patted his shoulder in a show of support and comfort.

"Wes, what's happening?! Calm down!"

"I-It's mother!" His voice told him that his brother was all but calm. He could also barely hear the screaming and painful noises the people made. Cold sweat dripped down his temple as he forced himself to calm down. "She's having a seizure. Come back here right now! We need you! And not only has that happened but the other guests…they're dead! Please...Soul"

"I'm coming right over." He snapped the phone shut and looked at her.

"Go on, I will solve the riddle in your place. I won't let the crime end this way. Let me undo this rusted curse." She said, her voice oozing with determination. A smirk made its way to the musician's face before he fled to the ballroom.

Running a hand over her now loose hair, Maka tried to think of the possible poisons that she had encountered. _Most of the symptoms look the same and that makes it only more difficult to determine it._ She thought as the gears on her brain worked like well-oiled clockwork machine. _Calm down Maka. Remember Stein. He's always mentioning poisons and the like right? Urgh…what was his favorite one? Cyanide? Arsenic? Belladonna? No…It was Hemlock! But…how?_

"_Stop being such a glutton Black Star." Stein reprimanded in a steely voice and returned to his work._

"_When you're a god, you NEED all the food you get." The boisterous boy shouted back, a rather haughty laugh following after._

"_Be careful Black Star." Marie told him, her index finger waving in front of his face. "Stein might feed you quail one time."_

"_Bah! As if he can poison ME, the great Black Star!"_

_A creepy smile made its way to the mad scientist's face. "Would you like me to try?"_

"That's it!" She made her way to the serving of quail and smirked. "You little troublemaker. So you're the answer all along. Now, it's time to find who brought you here and cure the guests before they really die."

* * *

**A.****N: **I read from this website that wild quails that had eaten hemlock are dangerous. Hemlock by the way people, _are_ poisonous. There is absolutely no need to try and test it.

I'm not entirely sure about the toxicity of quails that ate hemlock since the internet is a huge jungle that has very mixed info. I first wanted to use belladonna but I think that wouldn't have fitted the scene. I'm not a poisons expert so yeah…I'm not a police nor am I a professional forensics. It's my first time writing this type of fic so forgive me for the mistakes. I'm still learning my English and grammar too as English isn't my first language. I also used a stanza from the song in this story. Which is also in the summary. I know this has a lot of plot holes but it's only a one shot so ehh...

This is my first Soul Eater fic. Thanks for reading! Reviews and constructive criticisms are welcomed!


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